Whatever part of the world he is in, holding a bottle of Apulian extra virgin olive oil in his hands, the consumer will be able to make a journey of thousands of kilometers and arrive directly at the mill where that bottle was produced and then in the olive grove where they were harvested the olives that gave life to the extra virgin olive oil. Not only. Of that oil, by scanning the QR Code on the label, you will be able to know the nutraceutical values, the organoleptic composition, every characteristic that makes that product unique and have a guide available to taste the Puglia Evo oil produced in the best way Land of Bari, in the province of Foggia, in Salento or in the BAT.
All thanks to the “Certo” project. This is the name of the method of analysis, certification and promotion of one’s extra virgin olive oil – financed by the Rural Development Program (PSR) 2014-2020 Puglia, Measure 16 “Cooperation”, Submeasure 16.2 “Support for pilot projects and the development of new products, practices, processes and technologies” – developed in three and a half years of work by oil Puglia, with the participation of all its territories.
Last Friday, in Bitonto, the results of the last 40 months of work, research, analysis and mapping in the context of “Certo” were illustrated by managers, experts, professors and technicians of the large project partnership which, in addition to the lead partner , i.e. the CIA Agricoltori Italiani di Puglia, has brought together APO-Association of Olive Producers of Foggia, University of Salento, Mediterranean Agronomic Institute Ciheam Bari, Legacoop Puglia, Op Oliveti Terra di Bari, APOL Association of Olive Producers Lecce, Cooperative Society of Producers Olivicoli Bitonto, CSQA Certifications and Terra di Olivi Cooperative Oil Mill. The works were opened by greetings from Benedetto Fracchiolla, president of Finoliva; Gennaro Sicolo, president of CIA Italian Farmers of Puglia; and Carmelo Rollo, president of Legacoop Puglia.
“Certo” has developed a system of certification and geographical characterization of extra virgin olive oil capable, literally, of identifying “the fingerprints” of Apulian EVO. The objective is twofold: on the one hand to fight counterfeiting, on the other to provide consumers with a series of precise, timely information that can be used immediately digitally via a smartphone. The consumer will be able to discover the origin of truly Apulian extra virgin olive oil; he will be able to know where the olives were harvested and which mill was used for milling; what are the organoleptic and nutritional characteristics that make that product unique and authentic.
With the support of the oil mills and PO partners of the project, a representative database of regional olive production was defined, with a mapping of the profiles of the oils of the varieties currently in production, with particular reference to the Apulian PDOs. The application of new analysis methods, such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR) and Near InfraRed Spectroscopy (NIR), has made it possible to carry out an accurate characterization of the product, guaranteeing its authenticity on a molecular scale. These methods support modern analytical methods for controlling the quality of oils, and will therefore become the element of innovation for regional olive growing organizations to guarantee the safety, origin and typicality of regional production. The information is also made accessible thanks to an intelligent label based on QRcode/augmented reality to simplify the approach with the consumer.
Wednesday 19 June 2024
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